BURST OF EMOTIONS AT THE LAUNCH OF THE BOOK ABOUT WORLD AND EUROPEAN CHAMPION | SERBIA ONCE AGAIN BOWED TO OUR HEROES FROM LITHUANIA AND NEW ZEALAND

After the Lisbon night and Serbia’s qualification to the World Cup, and after the celebration at the Hyatt Hotel and the Golden Ball Awards to the best individuals, the year to be remembered is ending at the FA of Serbia Sports Centre in Stara Pazova, at the major book launch, the book about the greatest success of Serbia football, the triumph of the “Golden Eaglets” at the 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

This project, with a working title “For the Children of Serbia / How to Become a Champion”, was promoted before numerous gusts, former and present management officials of the FA of Serbia, head-coaches, coaches, players who had brought such a joy to football Serbia, prominent people of public life, representatives of the Serbian Government and the City of Belgrade.

It was a “full house” in the hall of the Sports Centre and it all started with that great motivational speech of the head-coach Veljko Paunović before the final match with Brazil at the U-21 World Cup in New Zealand, and continued with a video and the well-known voice of magnificent TV sports presenter, Aleksandar Stojanović, “Serbia is the world champion, Serbia is the world champion in football!” And after that…

– Good afternoon, Serbia, good afternoon football friends, welcome to the country of European and world champion. The reason why we are all here today is this book, certainly the only one and unique, the book with two covers about world and European champion! Only one of the four in the series of editions that will be in the making, both in Serbian and English, and which are a fantastic testimony of the greatest success of Serbian football since Serbia’s day of independence.

This book, but also the carefully planned project of the team of authors, those authentic witnesses of history, is certainly an endeavour worthy of the success that our golden boys achieved in Lithuania and New Zealand.

Title of the project says it all and it reads: FOR THE CHILDREN OF SERBIA / HOW TO BECOME A CHAMPION! This reading material will end up in the hands of more than 50,000 children aged 11 to 19 throughout Serbia! Every registered boy and girl who dreams of achieving one day what Rajko, Sergej, Mitar, Maksa, Žile, Marko, Gaja, Miloš and other players of Veljko Paunović and Ljubinko Drulović have done, will read this book and dreams with eyes wide open! Dear friends, it is our pleasure to greet you all, especially the ones who became immortal during their living… members of two glorious generations of Serbian football led by their head-coaches and coaches, the golden boys who brought Serbia European and world champion titles.

Then Aleksandar Stojanović called on those present to stand up and greet former officials of the FA, President Tomislav Karadžić and General Secretary Zoran Laković, as well as the Sports Department Director Savo Milošević (Mitar Mrkela could not come and attend the event).

This was followed by thunderous cheers and applause for the A Team Head-Coach Dragan Stojković and gratitude for the famous words “What do you mean – possibly!?! We are going to Qatar!”

Also the current FA of Serbia management was greeted, Deputy President Nenad Bjeković and General Secretary Jovan Šurbatović, as well as distinguished guests, people who sincerely supported this project – Deputy Prime Minister Branislav Nedimović and Deputy Mayor of Belgrade Goran Vesić, donors Janoš Žemberi and Mile Jovičić, and all other football friedns who have recognized the anthological value of this book.

The idea of three authors, former journalists of sports daily “Sportski žurnal”, tv channel SOS Kanal and sports daily “Sport”, Igor Gačić, Nebojša Petrović and Mirko Vrbica respectively, was to leave a forever and ever trace of the triumphal march of two super-talented generations of Serbian football to the European and world throne. Designers Dragan Todorović and Đorđe Filipović also made a great contribution to the realization of this project.

The book is full of great anecdotes our football heroes talked about right after the tournaments in Lithuania and New Zealand, while we still were hotheads and the impressions fresh. Flipping through the pages, one can feel emotion, and isn’t emotion what makes this game so magnificent.

Veljko Paunović called via video link from England and was greeted with great applause in the packed hall of the FAS Sports Centre, and was followed by Tomislav Karadžić, FAS President at the time of the greatest achievements, building of the Sports Centre, won titles in Lithuania and New Zealand… Cheers and applause were also there for Savo Milošević, then the Director of all FAS national teams, who pointed out the strength of the FA and thanked the players and the technical staff for their unbelievable results. There were a lot of emotions when the head-coach of “the Lithuanians” Ljubinko Drulović took the stage, that is the players – team captains Predrag Rajković and Marko Pavlovski respectively. There were applauses for the trophies won, honesty and emotions for the new great moments.

Finally, gratitude goes to those who supported the project, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Branislav Nedimović and Deputy Mayor of Belgrade Goran Vesić, who pointed out that Belgrade will always support such projects, noting that they will also support publication of the book, after good result in Qatar. The final words were those of the A team head-coach Dragan Stojković, in his own manner, with faith in what he does and with a promise that challenges and great things await us in Qatar. This was followed by the footage of the trophy being lifted in Lithuania and New Zealand, and as someone said, “it gives me chills”. Greetings to all who were part of this story, participants and numerous guests who attended the launch.